We stayed here last year and are going back this year http://www.anticaresidenzadazeglio.it/

Fantastic b&b with very clean beautiful rooms, and very comfy beds!

We are going back to the area for 5 nights in July and are staying in bologna again. It is central and easy to take the train to other towns...that way my hubby doesn't have to drive and can enjoy some wine with our long lunches!

Enjoy!

terrific to hear that! I saw them yesterday on Trip Advisor and read the great reviews on them...I actually heard back from them yesterday via email and they have the Red room available. We are going in mid April. I think I will book it just in case and cancel later if we change our mind!
What room did you stay in?

We stayed in the blue room, but saw all of the rooms - they are all of a very good size, and decorated very nicely. Great wifi and breakfast as well. We can't wait to go back! Everything is in walking distance and the hosts are lovely...and gave great restaurant recommendations!

If you stay in Modena, there is a lot of the old city that is a pedestrian only area.

The food there is absolutely to die for. Have the squash blossoms or the squash ravioli for the best ravioli you've ever eaten.

Mario Batali did part of a show from there. This is one of his favorite restaurants. "Hosteria Guisti (Modena, Italy)
A renovated old slaughterhouse, Hosteria Guisti combines exposed beams and terra-cotta floors with fine china and linens to create an ambiance that is anything but forgettable. It’s a family affair with owner Adriano Morandi, his wife Laura, and their two sons running the lunch-only spot. They offer menu suggestions upon seating that include traditional Italian recipes from their grandmother.

"It’s a four-table restaurant in the back of what looks like a deli, only open for lunch but serves the most magnificent and delicious things," said Batali."

Here's a guide from Mario on the area, as he lived there for 3 years; http://www.mariobatali.com/exploreitalydtl.cfm?rid=6

I enjoyed staying at Villa della Rosa Prati overlooking the empty piazza del duomo.if I remember correctly Vittorio operates 7 suites, all different in style or size. It's a very peaceful place to stay even though it's right next to the duomo & piazza. In the morning we walked to the ducal palace park across town for our cappucini under the tall trees. We rented a car from Milan and dropped off in Verona

The Porta San Mammolo in Bologna is not practical if you are travelling by train because it is the furthest point from the train station. I would recommend il B&B Bologna which is a 4 or 5 room design B&B close to the station, or the two hotels across the street from the train station for easy access to daytrip by train to Ravenna, Modena, Ferrara etc.. The Mercure is more humble looking but has a small peaceful private park behind it, while the Excelsior Starhotel is more formal and has better trained staff catering to business men. We will be going back to Bologna by car this year and choose to stay at I Portici because it is a bit more inside the historical center without entering the ZTL (Zona Trafico Limitato). Parking is rather costly too in Bologna. We are renting a car for Umbria, so in ER we may just use the train to day trip but I believe there are a couple of foodie restaurants that can only be reached by car, the trains are not plush or super clean but not intolerable either. My wife loves food and architecture in Modena, so we're going back, she always talked about the best rabbit she ever had is still at Modena. It is the least touristy of all towns so it has a real Italian small city feel. Ferrara castle disappointed our expectations but the city itself is fine for a daytrip. Another city we like a lot is Mantova with its sprawling ducal palace

We stayed 3 nights at the Della Rosa Prati and loved it. Parma was a great base for our 3 days of food exploring in the area. I would recommend a car for this portion of your trip, as most of the good food/wine activities are out in the country.

I posted a trip report of our time there both on here and on chowhound if you want to see my specific recs.

great ekc can't wait to read it!!!!

and thanks DAX for all the detail.... will look into Parma stay as base and rent a car.....any other thoughts?!

Hi Patty, while I enjoyed staying in Parma, I found Bologna to be a much better base because it has a lot more to offer after our day trips and is more central to other ER cities (practically a mid point between Ravenna and Parma). Ferrara and Modena are connected to Bologna by their frequent local train system in the tri-city area. The more I went the more I find Bologna to be a livelier university town, lots more restaurants and shopping streets and public events.

On our very first trip we have also based ourselves in Modena which is also more centrally located but it doesn't offer as much to visitors.

You can see both Bologna and Parma in my picture sets:
http://m.flickr.com/#/photos/79690840@N05/page6

There is a food institute store with branches in Bologna, Torino & NYC called EATALY. It is open 7 days a week till midnight even when other stores/restaurants are closed. The one in Bologna is LIKE a two story foodie store with wooden tables & chairs placed throughout the store where they serve very good local dishes and wines at low prices. It is right across from the famous food store AF Tamburini.
On the other spectrum, Bologna has a Michelin star restaurant inside the I Portici hotel.

You can easily day trip ER from Bologna by train but there is a couple foodie restaurants that can only be reached by car plus you have more flexibility to go anywhere at any time. If you drive however you have to know where the ZTL areas are to avoid the hefty tickets. You can always park in certain garages that are outside the ZTL. My wife prefers renting a car in order to skip the train stations and older trains.

DAX - what are the foodie restaurants only available by car??

Jamikins, Antica Corte Pavallicina is the first one that comes to mind ...

jamikins: Those restaurants have been recently discusses on the Italy section of Chowhound.com.

Exactly what DRJ wrote. In reality, most tourist don't care to go there since they are located up in the hills southwest of Bologna through the curvy mountain roads, far enough that visitors stay at their inn to avoid driving home after dinner. Most reviews are done by the locals in italian.

The correct link to my Bologna & Parma picture sets:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/79690840@N05/sets/72157629977982808/

ekg - I can't pull up your trip repot for some reason.... could you send me a link?
thanks alot!

Patty, if you send me an email I can just email you the report. my email is ekc at brownrask dot com

And here is the link for it on the chowhound board:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/778906

oh, good, I got to it via your link. Yum! Thank you ekc!

No problem Patty!